Rumour has it
by Skovko
Summary: When Tabitha turns down Dean, he decides to ruin her reputation by spreadings rumours about her and Jeff. He wasn't counting on them to turn it around for their own benefit and it only infuriates him even more.
1. The rumour starts

"Oh my god, girl, there you are!" Carmella beamed as she sat down.  
"Was I supposed to be somewhere else?" Tabitha raised her eyebrows as she looked up from her breakfast plate.  
"Yeah!" Carmella grinned. "In Jeff's room."

As calmly as possible Tabitha put her fork down, folded her hands in front of her and looked at the other woman.

"And why on earth would I be in his room of all places?" She asked.  
"Because you left the bar with him last night," Carmella rolled her eyes. "Duh! Obviously."  
"I can assure you I left on my own just as I slept in my own room alone," Tabitha said.  
"Not according to the rumour mill this morning," Carmella bit her lip and leaned forward. "So, was he any good? Come on, you can tell me."  
"Seriously Carmella, I haven't been with Jeff. Who the fuck is spreading this rumour?" Tabitha asked a bit angry.  
"I heard it from Dean," Carmella answered.

In a second Tabitha's bit of anger turned into a full blown anger.

"Of course," she sneered. "Dean. Fucking Dean Ambrose. Always count on him to stir up things."

As if he had been summoned by a magic spell, Dean entered the room to get breakfast too. He was full on grinning at Seth who was walking next to him and Tabitha could only imagine what story he was currently telling since Seth hadn't been with them at the bar the night before. She got up from her chair and strode towards him angrily.

"Ambrose!" She spat loudly in anger.

The entire room went silent and all eyes were on her. Dean's grin didn't fade at all. If anything, it grew even wider.

"What is it, sunshine?" He asked.  
"Why the fuck are you spreading lies about me?" She asked.  
"Not lies, sunshine. I saw you leave with him and you two looked rather cozy," he answered.  
"Really?" She put her hands on her sides. "You know damn well Jeff left 30 minutes before me. The same 30 minutes you spent trying to convince me to go back with you. So your pride got hurt by me turning you down and you decided to make up rumours about me? I never had high thoughts about you to begin with but I at least thought you were better than that."  
"Come on!" He held out his hands and tried with one of his goofy smiles.  
"This is exactly why I turned you down, asshole! And exactly why you could never get me into your bed!" She said loudly.

Before he could fire back at her, she was out of the room. Seth and Dean made their way to a table in the corner where they could talk in peace.

"Dude, really?" Seth asked.  
"Come on, it was just for fun," Dean said.  
"Seriously?" Seth looked at his friend. "Don't go around ruining people's reputation like that. You know how these things spread on social medias."  
"I'm counting on it," Dean grinned.  
"Really?" Seth shook his head.  
"She should have gone back with me," Dean crossed his arms and stared at Seth. "Are we getting breakfast or not?"  
"No thanks, I lost my appetite," Seth got up and left.

Tabitha stepped out of the elevator and walked straight towards a door and pounded away on it. It took a couple of minutes to wake up the sleeping man inside but finally she was greeted with a yawning Jeff Hardy with messy hair and only wearing a pair of boxers.

"Tabitha?" He looked at her confused. "What are you doing here?"  
"There's a rumour about us going around. I just wanted to let you know before you hear it from anyone else," she answered.  
"Please, come in," he said.

He stepped aside and she stepped into his room. His suitcase was open and his items were spread around the room. Messy as she had always pictured his rooms to be.

"What rumour?" He asked as he sat back down on the bed.  
"After you left last night, Dean came on to me strong. I turned him down but that apparently didn't fly well with him. He's been spreading lies about us leaving together all morning," she said.  
"That's it?" He asked.  
"That's it? What do you mean that's it?" She looked at him confused. "If this thing gets out..."  
"It's already out," he cut her off. "Half the roster gladly spreads these rumours as soon as they hear them and if he's had all morning to do so, you know it's already out."

She sniffled a little and turned her head to the ceiling, trying her hardest not to break down and cry on the spot. Although her and Jeff were friends, they weren't _that_ close. Not that she didn't want to be close with him and he seemed to appreciate her friendship a great deal too, but that particular line had never been crossed. They were always smiling and goofing around each other.

"Hey," she felt his hand in hers.

He pulled her in between his legs, locked his arms around her thighs and looked up at her.

"How do you wanna do this?" He asked.  
"I don't know," she answered.  
"We can try shooting down the rumour but you know it'll never go away, or..." He smirked secretly.  
"Or?" She asked.  
"Or we can pretend it's true. We start travelling together, rooming together, holding hands in public, basically make people so sick of us that they don't even care to talk about us anymore," he said.

She looked at him with wonder in her eyes. Could they really do such a thing? It had never crossed her mind to actually turn the rumour into truth. Well, sort of. It would be a lie but no one would know.

"Dean's gonna lose his shit totally if he sees his stupid rumour made us realize we had feelings for each other all along and it helped us become an item," he said.

Dean was gonna lose it? That was all she needed.

"I'm in," she said.  
"Cool," he grinned from ear to ear.  
"But we're getting rooms with single beds," she said.  
"Yeah, sure thing. It's not like we actually have to sleep together. We just need everyone else to think we do," he said.  
"Gosh, we're dancing with the devil here, aren't we?" She asked nervously.  
"But it's gonna be so much fun," he moved his head forward and gave her stomach a tickling kiss that made her giggle. "Ticklish much, my little sugar plum?"  
"Sugar plum?" She laughed.  
"I have to have a cute pet name for you now," he winked.


	2. Convincing everyone

"Ready?" He looked at her.  
"Ready," she nodded.

He reached for her hand and together they walked into the arena. Heads were turning from the first steps, backstage workers wondering why they were walking hand in hand, but no one dared to ask a question.

As expected all heads turned as they walked into catering and their co-workers in there noticed them. Again no one said anything but everyone was staring and the room felt strangely quiet. She grabbed a bottle of water and turned to smile at him.

"I gotta go. I'm opening the show," she said.  
"I'm gonna miss you, sugar plum," he pulled her in for a kiss.

It was a closed mouth kiss but his lips lingered on hers for a few seconds, making everyone drop their jaws in disbelief. She slowly turned around and he swatted her ass which made her giggle out loud. Ten seconds later she had left the room.

"You and Tabitha?" Seth came up to Jeff.  
"Yeah, she came to me this morning all worried about a rumour going around. It got us talking and hidden feelings were admitted and we decided to give it a shot and here we are," Jeff smiled widely.  
"Bullshit," Dean mumbled from the table behind them.  
"Are you jealous?" Jeff turned around to look at Dean. "From what I hear, you blew your chance last night."  
"I didn't blow anything," Dean growled. "I never wanted her to begin with."  
"Whatever you say, little dog," Jeff laughed.

Dean flew up from his chair but before he could say or do anything, Seth stepped in between them and placed a hand on each of the men's chests.

"You know, Dean, I should thank you. If it hadn't been for you starting that stupid rumour, I never would have learned that she feels the same way about me and I never would have been looking forward to a night like I am for tonight," Jeff licked his lips. "So thank you."

With a twisted smirk on his face, Jeff backed up a couple of steps before turning around and leaving catering.

"Fucking moron!" Dean growled as he sat back down.  
"No, that'll be you," Seth crossed his arms. "You know you did wrong by both of them with that rumour and you fucking deserve to see them all up in your face until you puke."

It was a sweaty but smiling woman that made her way to gorilla after her match. She knew Dean was going against The Miz right after so she was expecting to see him standing there. She wasn't expecting Jeff though but he was there nonetheless, catching her by her waist and swinging her around.

"What a match!" He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you, sugar plum."  
"Captain!" She giggled in his arms.  
"Captain?" Dean sneered lowly.  
"You prefer babe?" Miz asked.  
"Shut up and mind your own business!" Dean growled.

Miz snorted back a laugh and looked at the couple. Jeff was still holding her up and she gave him a quick peck on the lips before he lowered her down on her feet. They walked out of gorilla hand in hand.

"They're kinda cute together actually," Miz said.  
"Yeah, they're all unicorns and strawberry fields and glowing happiness," Dean said sarcastically.  
"You're jealous!" "Miz grinned and started laughing.  
"The hell I am!" Dean sneered.  
"You're totally jealous," Miz laughed louder. "Oh my god, that serves you right after the stunt you pulled this morning."

Dean didn't say anything but he gave Miz a certain look.

"Yeah, everyone knows it was you," Miz answered the unasked question. "You made your bed. Now lie in it. Or, you actually made their bed and they seem more than happy to lie in it."

Miz's music started and he walked out in the arena before Dean could even think of an answer. Dean cracked his knuckles first and then cracked his head from side to side. He was gonna throw some harder punches this evening. Miz had no right talking to him like that.

"Everyone bought it," Jeff said as he started the car after the show.  
"That's good," Tabitha leaned back in her seat with a happy sigh.  
"Dean was so angry," he laughed. "Seth had to step in between us to hold him back."  
"Don't start a fight with him," she said.  
"I'm not starting anything. I'm just marking my territory," he reached over and gave her thigh a squeeze.

She whined a little and slapped his hand away.

"Careful now. You might be the captain of this car but you're not the captain of this body," she laughed.  
"Captain," he laughed too. "I wish you had let me in on that pet name before using it."  
"As if sugar plum is any better," she stuck out her tongue.  
"Alright, alright, I give in," he said.

He reached his hand forward and turned on the radio. He kept the volume down so they could still talk over the music.

"I called ahead to change the room," he said.  
"Single beds?" She asked.  
"Of course," he answered.  
"What are we gonna do when we're going home from the road?" She asked.  
"The same as we always do. We go home separately," he answered.


	3. Double date

"No, please, stop!" She laughed out loud.

Ever since Jeff had learned just how ticklish she was, it was always his way of punishing her or making her give into what he wanted.

"Say yes!" He demanded.  
"No!" She tried again.

He was straddling her legs, holding her wrists locked together above her head with one hand while his other hand was running over her stomach and down her sides. As she was squirming around even more, he leaned his entire body down on her to keep her locked down on the bed and tickled her neck with his beard instead.

"Okay, fine!" She finally gave in.  
"I win!" He sat back up on his knees. "Double date with Miz and Maryse. They're totally gonna buy we're for real."  
"Everyone already does. I thought it would have died down by now but apparently we're still hot news," she said.  
"It's only been two weeks. Aren't you enjoying your time with me?" He pretended to look hurt.  
"We have a name!" She rolled her eyes. "Jeffitha!"

He burst out laughing, somehow managing to move forward again although sliding down her legs so his head landed on her stomach.

"Jeffitha!" He snorted. "Worst name ever!"  
"Like any of those types of names are ever any good," She rolled her eyes again even though he wasn't looking at her face. "Are you gonna move and let me get up?"  
"Nope," she felt his lips smile against her skin.

Her phone started ringing from her side pocket and she raised her hand but he pushed it away and instead worked her phone out of her pocket while never leaving her body.

"Carmella," he announced as he reached the phone towards her.  
"Thank you, phone operator," she said as she grabbed her phone. "Hey Carmella, what's up?"

For a minute or two he just listened in on her side of the conversation. Clearly she was trying to dodge some dirty questions from Carmella's side. Even though the two women were friends, Carmella was not let in on the secret that their relationship was a lie. He chuckled lowly to himself and started kissing up her stomach. She placed her hand in his hair, trying to stop him first by simply pushing his head down and then second by yanking his hair as he hit a soft spot that involuntarily made her let out a little moan.

"I heard that!" Carmella singsonged loud enough for Jeff to hear. "Your man's totally playing with you right now, isn't he?"  
"I'm gonna call you back," Tabitha said.

She hung up the phone and shot an angry look down her body where all she was met with was Jeff's grinning face.

"What?" He asked innocently.  
"You're so not getting laid tonight," she threatened.  
"Like I was anyway," he laughed. "Oh wait, was I? Were you actually planning on finally giving in to my charm tonight?"  
"Guess you'll never know now," she smirked.  
"Nooooo!" He raised his fist to the sky in a howling cry.

The double date actually went better than expected. Miz and Maryse were very nice people and they seemed to be backing them up which Tabitha hadn't been expecting before going out with them.

"Dean's such an idiot," Maryse rolled her eyes. "He doesn't know how to treat a real woman."  
"You got a good man," Tabitha smiled.  
"Yes, I do," Maryse grabbed Miz's jaw and smirked at him. "You're my good man, aren't you, babe?"  
"Always, babe," Miz's eyes shone of love.  
"You got a good man too," Maryse let go of Miz's jaw and looked at Tabitha again.  
"Yeah, he treats me good," Tabitha smiled.  
"Don't be shy, sugar plum," Jeff kissed her cheek. "You know you won the lottery with me."

Everyone around the table laughed and the conversation just kept going after that. Tabitha actually found it hard to break up the company but they all had planes to catch or car rides to get on. After all, they had all only agreed to stay behind for a few hours longer to do this double date since they were heading home from the road for a couple of days.

"So I'll see you in three days," Jeff said as they got ready to part ways in the airport.  
"Don't get into any trouble while I'm not around," she said.  
"I always get into trouble, with or without you," he twisted a sideways smile.  
"But it's more fun when I get to be part of it," she pouted.  
"Soon," he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "Soon we'll mess around again. Now go catch your flight."

She was the first at the gate and the first to board her flight. She had settled in and was just about to lean up against the window and close her eyes when someone dumped down on the seat next to her. She turned her head to see who would be sitting next to her and her eyes widened at the sight of Dean.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.  
"I'm taking a flight. Isn't that obvious?" He smirked.  
"You don't live in Alabama," she said.  
"I'm well aware of that but that doesn't mean I can't visit people I know who lives there," he said. "And how lucky that we get to sit next to each other. I thought you left hours ago when the show ended."  
"Bullshit!" She called his bluff. "Somehow you knew I was taking the late flight instead and you decided to make it hell on earth for me."  
"Don't you have high thoughts about yourself, sunshine?" He grinned and poked her nose.  
"Don't touch me!" She hissed and slapped his hand away.

She leaned up against the window but she didn't close her eyes. No way was she gonna close them and allow him to go through her things or do whatever he might want to do to her. It was gonna be a long flight.


	4. An unwanted visitor

The second she had gotten off the plane, she had tried her best to escape him but he just followed behind like a happy puppy following its owner.

"You wanna share a cab?" He asked.  
"No," she answered.  
"How about a rental? I'll rent one and drive you home for free," he offered.

She didn't know how else to get rid off him so she stopped and faked a little smile as she turned her head to look at him.

"Fine, you win," she said. "Go rent a car while I use the bathroom. I'll meet you in the parking lot."  
"You're on!" He grinned.

He turned around and started walking. She quickly moved forward, trying to run through the sea of people, making her way to the parking lot where her own car was already waiting. She pressed the button to unlock the car as she ran towards it. She tore the door up, threw her bag in on the passenger seat while jumping into the driver seat. She quickly turned on the engine and left the airport before there was any sign of Dean.

"Take that, asshole!" She shouted out in the air.

She had slept in until noon where an annoying banging on her door woke her up. She wasn't expecting anyone but figuring it might be a friend or a family member that wanted to see her, she rolled out of bed and moved through the house to open the door. There on the other side stood Dean with his arms crossed.

"You left me hanging!" He sneered. "I waited for hours."  
"Why?" She asked.  
"Why?" He moved forward fast and was all up in her face. "Because we had a deal."  
"We didn't have shit!" She pushed him back. "Get out of my face and out of my house!"

She tried to close the door but he stuck his foot in and stopped her from doing so. He pushed the door open with force so she stumbled a couple of steps backwards and suddenly he was inside her house, grabbing her shirt to pull her close.

"I dare you to try and throw me out," he smirked as the words fell in a dark tone.  
"Leave!" She piped not as strongly as she intended to.  
"Make me!" He dared.

She wrapped her hands around his wrists and although the thought of at least trying to yank his hands away from her had been there, she didn't make a move. She knew she couldn't fight him and she didn't want to anger him further.

"Please," she whispered.  
"Oh, aren't you all sweet all of the sudden?" He mocked her as he bowed his head down to her ear. "I'm so gonna enjoy tearing up that pussy of yours. You won't deny me forever. Like Jeff could ever make you scream like I can."

How she wanted to scream although not in the way he imagined. She wanted to scream for help but no words left her mouth. She just stood there frozen, not sure what to do to make him go away.

"Tabitha?" There was a knock on the already open door.

Her face turned into relief by the voice of one of her cousins. She knew they always travelled in a pack when they visited her and Dean wouldn't be a match against those three brothers.

"Max!" She managed to raise her voice. "Come in!"

The sound of feet moving in fast and then the faces of her three cousins looking at them. Dean had done the smart thing and let go off her tee before they moved up next to them but he still stood there.

"Is everything alright here?" Max asked.  
"Yeah, Dean was just leaving," she answered.  
"I was," Dean smiled sweetly. "But I'll be back. This isn't over."

He spun around and left her house fast and she fell to the floor and let out a loud sob.

"Tabitha?" Max dropped down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. "What's going on?"  
"I'm not sure," she answered.  
"What was he doing here?" Her other cousin Jerry asked. "Wasn't he the one starting that stupid rumour about you?"  
"Yeah," she nodded. "Look, I don't know, alright? I don't know anything. All I know... All I know..."  
"Sleepover!" Her third cousin Glenn said.

That was one of the many reasons why she loved her cousins. They somehow always knew what to say to make it easier for her and they were always there to protect her. They had done so since they were kids.

"How long are you home this time?" Jerry asked.  
"Three days. Or two since one night has passed now," she answered.  
"Alright, get dressed and we're gonna drive around picking up our stuff and a whole lot of unhealthy food to stuff ourselves with," he said.  
"You guys are really staying for that long?" She looked between all three of them.  
"Of course," Max said and squeezed her shoulder. "Ain't gonna let that asshole get one over our baby cousin."


	5. Coming clean to someone

"Hey, sugar plum, I totally missed you," Jeff grinned widely as he entered the hotel room.  
"Hi," her voice was low.

He dropped his bag on the spot and moved directly towards her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed her down on the bed while following himself so they laid on their sides facing each other.

"What's wrong?" He asked.  
"Nothing," she lied.  
"Don't give me that. You're always so cheerful," he reached up to stroke her hair. "Did something happen while you were home?"  
"My three cousins camped out in my house," she answered.  
"So you're mad at them?" He asked.  
"Not at all," she managed to fake a little smile. "They just made me miss my family even more. That happens from time to time after having a great time with them."  
"I know that feeling," he smiled back.

He moved forward and pecked her lips, something that just felt naturally for the both of them ever since they had started this whole fake relationship. Small pecks and kisses but never anything serious.

"I promised Carmella to go out for coffee," she said.  
"Alright, are we meeting up here later or just at the arena?" He asked.  
"I'll be back here first. I can't walk into the arena without my captain guiding me," her smile was real this time.  
"Alright, I'll go workout for an hour and I'll be here waiting for you," he said.

She fiddled with her coffee cup, not realizing that Carmella had stopped talking and was just staring at her. It wasn't until Carmella's hand closed over hers that she stopped fiddling the cup around and looked up to meet her friend's concerned eyes.

"You're miles away, sweetheart. What's going on?" Carmella asked.  
"I've been lying to you," Tabitha bit her lip.  
"About what?" Carmella asked.  
"Jeff and I aren't together. We're just pretending so that people would stop finding the rumour interesting and move on. And also because we wanted to annoy Dean," Tabitha answered.  
"Okay," Carmella said.

She took a sip of her coffee while taking in this new information.

"Okay, I can somehow make sense of it although I don't understand why you lied to me of all people," Carmella said.  
"Sorry," Tabitha said ashamed.  
"What's done is done. So what's the problem? Your plan backfired and you've fallen for him?" Carmella asked.

Tabitha stared at Carmella for a few seconds. She hadn't thought about that but now that Carmella brought it up, she knew she answer clearly and she didn't want to give it to anybody or even admit it to herself.

"It's not that," Tabitha shook her head lightly. "Dean followed me home."  
"He what?" Carmella spat in a high pitch tone.  
"He even sat next to me on the plane and he showed up at my house saying that he would be with me," Tabitha said.  
"He threatened to rape you?" Carmella asked in horror.  
"No, not like that. He said I wouldn't say no forever," Tabitha answered.  
"But what's gonna happen when he learns that you're not gonna give him what he wants?" Carmella asked.  
"I don't know," Tabitha whimpered.  
"Shit, Tabitha, this isn't good," Carmella reached over and took Tabitha's hand.

The few days they were on the road went by too fast for Tabitha's liking. Even though Dean didn't come close to her, he was always there, watching her from a distance and it made her blood run cold. If only she could have her cousins to rely on once again but they were out of town this time around.

"Can't I go home with you?" She looked at Jeff with puppy eyes.  
"I wish," he kissed her forehead. "We have a family reunion tonight. Me and Matt will make it just in time."  
"I can wait in your house meanwhile," she tried.  
"You're cute when you're pouting," he chuckled.

He turned around to pack the rest of his bag and she hung her head low and didn't drill into it further. She didn't want to let him know what was really going on and why she was really scared. She didn't want him to feel concerned about her.

"All ready," he turned around with a smile. "Let's get to the airport."

She dropped down in her seat on the plane. She had gotten a front row seat this time and an elderly lady sat next to her. She froze when Dean boarded the plane too. He sent her a sickening smile before moving down the aisle. She turned in her seat to see he had been seated all the way in the back, something he wasn't too happy about by the look on his face when he turned around and met her eyes.

She was on edge on the entire flight. Luckily it wasn't a long flight. She had the advantage of being up front and as soon as she was out, she just ran like hell to get to her car before he would make it out and catch up with her. Knowing he had to stand in line to rent a car, she knew she had some time. While driving she tried calling Carmella.

"Come on, pick up!" She growled lowly as she heard it ring.  
"Hello?" Carmella asked.  
"Dean's here!" Tabitha snapped quickly. "He followed me again."  
"What?" Carmella shouted.  
"I made it out before him but he knows where I live," Tabitha said.  
"Don't go home," Carmella said.  
"I have to," Tabitha said. "But I'm way ahead. He won't know I'm home."  
"Tabitha!" Carmella shouted warningly.  
"I just need you to know that if something happens, Dean was here," Tabitha said and hung up.

She looked in the rear view mirror but the street was dark behind her. She had time. She drove her car into her garage and closed the garage door and made her way into the house. She didn't turn on any light or pull any curtains. She needed to make it look like she wasn't there. Instead she found an image of one of the town's popular bars and tweeted it out with a little text.

 _"Out with the girls. Meeting here but moving on as soon as the last one gets here. Party on, good people!"_

Even though Dean never used social medias himself, she knew he checked them from time to time and there was no doubt in her mind that he checked her accounts frequently. She peeked out of the window as a car stopped outside. Chills went down her spine as she saw his face being lit up from the light on his phone. He frowned and she knew instinctly that he had just seen her tweet and bought her lie.

"Please, leave," she whispered.

He didn't. He put his phone away, leaned back in the car seat and turned his face to her house. She ducked down and bit her lip in fear. She could do this. She just had to get through the night. At some point he had to get tired of waiting outside. She crawled over the floor so he wouldn't see her from the window. She grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the couch as she crawled by and made her way to the bathroom. At least he wouldn't be able to see her in there since it was a non see-through window.


	6. Jeffitha

The light from her phone illuminated the little bathroom and she saw Jeff's name flash across the screen. She quickly picked up and put the phone to her ear. The light died down a few seconds later and left the room in darkness again.

"Jeff?" She asked lowly.  
"Tell me why I just got a call from Carmella of all people telling me that Dean is fucking stalking you!" He sounded angry.  
"I didn't want you to worry," she said.  
"Of course I worry!" He sighed. "How can I not worry about you?"  
"I don't know," she said.  
"We're on our way," he said.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Me and Matt. We're already in his car. We're on our way," he answered.  
"But it's a 6 hour drive," she said.  
"I'm sure he can make it faster," he said.

She sighed loudly, not knowing if her sigh was one of relief or something else entirely. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Jeff doing something like that just to get to her and make sure she was safe.

"Talk to me," he said.  
"He's outside," she cried softly.  
"What?" He shouted.  
"He's sitting outside in a car. He doesn't know I'm home. I'm in the bathroom hiding," she cried.  
"I'm gonna kill him!" He growled.  
"Ssh!" She shushed him.

She sat completely frozen and listened as feet moved around outside the window. Hands moved up, testing if the window would open or not, and then the feet continued moving towards the next window.

"He's looking for a way in," she whispered.  
"What? Right now?" He asked.  
"He just tried the bathroom window," she whispered.  
"Step on it, Matt!" He demanded before turning his attention towards her again. "I'm right here, sugar plum. I'm gonna stay on the phone with you the entire time."

For most parts they were silent, just listening to each other breathe, but they talked a little here and there. Moving into hour five, weird noises sounded from his side.

"Shit, my phone's dying," he said.  
"Don't leave me," she piped.  
"Matt, your phone!" He demanded.  
"Shit, I left it at uncle's house," Matt said.  
"Listen, Tabitha," Jeff tried to remain calm. "We're almost there. I'm coming for you and I'll be there..."

His phone died before he could finish the sentence. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at her phone. She jumped and almost screamed as it started lighting up again as a new phonecall came through, only it was Dean's name flashing across the screen this time. She knew he wasn't gonna stop and if she could keep him on the phone and make sure he didn't go near the house again, it was worth a shot.

"Hello?" She asked.  
"Where have you been? I've been calling for hours!" He shouted.  
"I'm out having fun," she said.  
"Some fun you are when you're talking on your phone for that long!" He spat.  
"What do you want?" She asked.  
"What do I want? Sunshine, you should know by now that I want you. And I'm gonna get you. I don't care how long I'm gonna have to wait," he said.  
"Please, Dean, you can't just sit outside my house all night," she said.

For five long seconds all she got in return was silence until his voice broke through in a calm, cold tone.

"How do you know I'm outside?"

Her heart tightened in her chest as she realized she had messed up. She could try denying it, saying it was a lucky guess, but she knew he would never believe any of it. To her horror she heard him open the car door through the phone.

"You're home, aren't you?" He taunted.  
"No," she lied.  
"Guess I'll see for myself in a minute," he said.

She jumped back against the wall as she heard a boot connecting with her front door. She jumped to her feet with the second sound of the boot and looked up at the window. For some strange reason it was placed higher up and although she could jump up and try to climb or pull her body up, she knew she didn't have time. Instead she ran towards the bedroom, thinking she could get out of that window fast, but as soon as she reached the doorway, she heard her front door being kicked in.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Dean yelled.

She threw herself under the bed and clamped a hand over her own mouth so silence her breathing.

"Where are you hiding, sunshine?" He taunted as he moved through the house. "Hide all you want. You know I'm gonna find you. I always were good at hide and seek."

It was official. Dean had absolutely lost his mind. She knew it and there was not a damn thing she could do about it. She tried holding her breath as she saw his feet enter the bedroom. Slowly he walked around, opening the closet and moving to the other side of the bed. She didn't dare turn around under the bed in fear he would hear her. It didn't matter though. Hands closed around her ankles and she was dragged out with a scream.

"There you are, sunshine," he smirked evilly. "And already in the bedroom. Perfect."

He threw her down on the bed and jumped up to straddle her. His hands grabbed her wrists tight and locked her down on the bed.

"Dean, please!" She cried.  
"You're so hot when you beg," he leaned down and ran his nose up her neck. "I wonder how much you'll beg once I really get started."

He was never gonna find out because strong hands grabbed him and pulled him off her body. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself down on his knees on the floor with his right arm bending behind his back in a way that was about to break it if just a little more pressure was added.

"Tabitha?" Jeff's voice reached her.

She managed to push herself up to sit and saw that Jeff had Dean locked in a tight grip while Matt moved towards her.

"Are you alright?" Matt asked.  
"I'm okay," she nodded.  
"You messed with the wrong woman!" Jeff sneered.  
"I'm sorry!" Dean shouted.  
"Do you drive a stick or an automatic?" Jeff asked.  
"What?" Dean asked confused.  
"Stick or automatic?" Jeff asked again.  
"Automatic," Dean answered. "But what does that..."

He howled in pain before he could finish the sentence as Jeff broke his right arm. Jeff let go and moved around to look down at Dean.

"You can still drive home with that arm when it's an automatic. Now get the fuck out of here and don't you dare tell anyone that I broke your arm or the whole world will know that you were here and the exact reason why," Jeff warned. "And if I ever, _ever_ , catch you as much as looking at my woman again, I'm gonna break a whole lot more next time."

Dean almost jumped to his feet while holding his broken arm against his body. He spun around and ran out of the house without a word. Jeff turned around, his hard eyes turning soft and worried as he looked at her. He quickly closed the gab between them, crouched down in front of her and pulled her into his arms.

"I got you," he soothed her as she started crying. "I got you, sugar plum. I'm not letting go again."  
"Thank you," she managed to get out through her cries.  
"Of course," he kissed her cheek and leaned out to look at her. "Look at you."

He moved his hands up and dried her eyes, managing to get a little smile from her. A smile that he returned with one of his own ones.

"Okay, pack a couple of bags. You're coming with me," he said.  
"No, you can't. You shouldn't," she tried to argue.  
"Hey, I'm not leaving you here like this, especially not with a busted down door. You're coming home with me," he said.

She slept for the entire ride back to North Carolina. How the two brothers in the front seats managed to stay awake would have been anyone's guess. They let her sleep and entertained each other instead. It wasn't until they arrived that Jeff woke her up and she saw the sun had risen.

"Come on, sugar plum," he said.

He carried her bags inside his house and she followed behind him while Matt drove back to his own house and left the two of them alone. She looked around while following behind Jeff until they had reached the bedroom. He dropped her bags on the floor and knocked on one of the closets.

"I'll clear this closet for you," he said.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"Now come here," he said.

He wrapped his arms around her like many times before and a few seconds later they both laid on their sides on the bed and looked at each other. His hand stroked up and down her back with long slow strokes while he looked at her.

"He didn't do anything, did he?" He asked.  
"No, you got there just in time," she answered.  
"Good. I wouldn't be able to live with myself otherwise," he said.

He moved in to give her a quick peck. He moved out just a little, looking her in the eyes and then moving in for another peck only it ended as a soft kiss when he didn't move his lips away for two seconds. His tongue entered her mouth and briefly ran over her tongue.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I've been wanting to do this for so long and thinking back on what could have happened to you, I'm done keeping my feelings in the dark."

He looked at her, waiting for her to say something back.

"Please, say something," he begged.

She grabbed his head and pulled him in for a deep kiss, forcing her tongue into his mouth and almost devouring him. His hand stopped stroking her back but instead pulled her tight up against his body. Their legs tangled in between each other and he slowly rolled her over on her back.

"Guess what," Tabitha grinned widely a few days later as she dumped down in front of Carmella.  
"You got laid?" Carmella asked.  
"Damn, how did you know?" Tabitha chuckled.  
"No shit, you got laid?" Carmella grinned.  
"Jeff and I are officially together now. As in officially officially this time," Tabitha smiled.  
"I take it he saved you," Carmella said.  
"Yes, he did. And thank you for calling him," Tabitha said.

Jeff came walking in and quickly joined the two women at the table, leaning in to steal a quick kiss from Tabitha.

"I hear you saved the day," Carmella smirked.  
"The day and the lady," he winked. "I saved her and brought her back home."  
"You're living together already?" Carmella asked.  
"For now. I'm putting my house up for sale and I'm gonna move somewhere where no one can find me," Tabitha answered.  
"As if!" He chuckled and leaned in to tickle her neck with his beard. "You're not getting out of my house ever again."  
"Is that your weird way of asking me to move in with you?" She asked.  
"It's my weird way of asking you to just stay where you are," he answered.  
"You guys are so cute," Carmella clapped her hands together. "Oh, wait!"

She found her phone and opened the camera.

"Can I post you all over social medias and be the first one to add a picture to the rumour?" She asked.  
"No, but you can send it to me and let us post it all over social medias," Tabitha chuckled.  
"Okay, I'm good with that. Now give us a kiss, lovers," Carmella said. "Jeffitha is officially a thing."  
"Yeah, about that name," Tabitha said.  
"Don't fight it, sugar plum," he chuckled. "Just let it be and kiss me."


End file.
